Sheng Siong Diners Club Card: How Good Is It?

Shania Wong
Apply Now
on Diners Club's website

Sheng Siong Diners Club Card

Apply Now
on Diners Club's website
If you stay near a Sheng Siong outlet and get all your necessities fulfilled there, then you should get this card. Otherwise, there are many other student credit cards with greater benefits such as the Maybank eVibes card.

Pros

  • Easy to qualify for
  • 2% rebate at Sheng Siong
  • No minimum spend required
  • Lower-income working adults can also apply

Cons

  • No cashback on spending outside of Sheng Siong
  • Card cannot double as a transport card
  • Diners Club app lacks features
  • Rebates expire after 30 days

Diners Club is not as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard, so not many of the younger generations may know that it exists. Even so, their various S$500 credit limit cards may be decent options for students, NSFs, and lower-income working adults.

How does it compare to other student credit cards in the market though?

Today, we’ll go through the Diners Club/Sheng Siong Cobrand S$500 Credit Limit Card and assess how this card measures up:

Sheng Siong Cobrand S$500 Card: Who’s Eligible?

Residential StatusSingaporeans or Permanent Residents 
Age18 – 65 years old
Annual Income RequirementsNone for students and NSFs; S$16,000 for working adults
Additional Eligibility Criteria to FulfilMust not be an existing Diners Club Basic cardholder. 

The eligibility criteria isn’t strict and working adults can also apply for the card. To qualify for this card as a working adult, you only need a minimum annual income of S$16,000.

But if you’re earning at least S$18,000, you may be able to qualify for options like the CIMB AWSM Card instead. This gives you unlimited 1% rebates on dining, entertainment, online shopping, and telco payments — whereas the Sheng Siong card’s cashback is limited to, well, Sheng Siong.

Fees and Credit Limit

Credit LimitS$500
Annual FeesS$28 (waived for the first year)
Minimum Monthly PaymentTotal outstanding balance or S$50 (whichever is lower) + all past due amounts and any amount exceeding Credit Limit
Overlimit FeeS$50
Effective Interest Rate28% per annum (min. S$3 charge)
Cash Advance 6% of cash advance amount or S$20, whichever is greater
Late Payment ChargesS$80
Foreign Currency Transaction Fee3%

Unlike other student credit cards, you can’t get a fee waiver by making a certain number of purchases or fulfilling a minimum spend. 

The annual fees are also on the higher end of the spectrum. Many entry-level cards — including the CIMB AWSM — have lower or no annual fees.

Card Rebates and Benefits

Cashback2% rebate on all spending at Sheng Siong outlets
Other BenefitsDiners Club Privileges:
  • Earn Club Rewards points when you spend outside of Sheng Siong in exchange for gifts, vouchers, and air miles (S$1 = 1 point)
  • 1 complimentary visit per calendar year to any of Diners Club participating lounges around the world.

Sheng Siong Rebates

Two things to note:

  • Whatever rebates you earn at Sheng Siong can only be redeemed the next day and only after the rebate has been credited to your card.
  • Your rebates will expire in 30 days; unused rebates are automatically forfeited.

That’s a pretty short timeframe in which to use your rebates, but then people who opt for this card would likely shop at Sheng Siong often.

Air Miles Points Conversion 

Every dollar spent grants you one point. Diners Club allows its users to exchange points into KrisFlyer or SkyMiles, which is a plus for frequent flyers. 

Each exchange can only be done in batches of 4,500 points (or 1,000 miles).

Don’t expect to get lots of free travel with this card though. Even if you max out the S$500 limit each time, the most you’ll earn is 500 points per month. It’ll take you at least 9 months to get 1,000 air miles if you don’t exceed the credit limit to avoid the overlimit fee.

This is quite a long and gruelling process for that small number of air miles, which barely offsets any flying costs.

How’s this Card vs Other Sheng Siong Cards?

Despite the subpar benefits, this card has lower foreign currency transaction fees, annual fees, and late payment charges compared to other Sheng Siong cards. 

Here’s a quick comparison: 

CardSheng Siong BenefitsMinimum SpendAnnual Fees Late Payment ChargesForeign Currency Transaction Fees
Diners Club / Sheng Siong Cobrand S$500 Credit Card2% cash rebate earned and redeemed at Sheng SiongNoneS$28 (waived for first year)S$80Up to 3%
BOC Sheng Siong Visa Card6% cash rebateNoneS$32.10(waived for first year)S$100Up to 3.2%
POSB Everyday Card5% cash rebate $800S$192.60(waived for first year)S$100Up to 3.25%
Citibank SMRT Card5% if minimum spend fulfilled; 0.3% otherwise$500S$192.60(waived for first 2 years)S$100Up to 3.25%
Sheng Siong Benefits

In our view though, the Bank of China Visa is a much better deal if you’re looking to maximise cash rebates from Sheng Siong.

But that comes with a caveat: all three alternatives have higher annual income requirements. If you’re a student, NSF, or working adult earning less than S$30,000 a year, the Diners Club Sheng Siong Cobrand Card may be your best option.

Conclusion

Overall, if you like staying in and prepping your own meals, this card may help you save on grocery shopping costs — but only at Sheng Siong.

Otherwise, if you’re a typical student who likes to dine out and shop online, there are many other cards that offer better cashback rates and benefits such as the CIMB AWSM card or the Maybank eVibes Card.